RuneScape Wiki:Quest style guide
This Quest style guide is a style guide used for the quest pages. Though the Wiki is an encyclopaedia, it is also a player guide. This means that not all articles should be written in third person. The following guidelines apply to any quest pages which attempts to be a guide rather than an informative article. They can be summed up by this simple principle: Write for the reader attempting to use the guide. Writing style Imperative form Always use the imperative (command) form when possible. This allows the guide to use neither the second nor third person tenses. Incorrect: * You must now talk to Reldo. He is located... * The player should teleport to Falador. Correct: * Talk to Reldo. He is located in the library in the north of Varrock Palace. * Teleport to Falador. Second person When the imperative form is not possible, use the second-person form. Though some styles of writing prohibit the second-person tense, recall that these articles are not encyclopaedic, but are instead user manuals -- and user manuals are written solely for the user. Incorrect: * Talk to Reldo. He will tell the player that Manbearpig is about to attack! Correct: * Talk to Reldo. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! Bulleting Informative command Start each bullet point with a short, informative command. This allows readers to see what they have to do immediately, and then afterward decide if they need more details. Remember that users of all different experience levels will be reading each guide. What might be important details for one will only slow down another. Incorrect: * Kill the zombie. It will drop a scroll telling you to talk to Reldo. * Reldo can be found in the library in the north of Varrock Palace. Talk to him, and he will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! Correct: * Kill the zombie. It will drop a scroll telling you to talk to Reldo. * Talk to Reldo. He is located in the library in the north of Varrock Palace. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! -OR- * Talk to Reldo, located in the library in the north of Varrock Palace. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! Actions Use one bullet point per significant action required on the quest (definitely for any action that requires any form of travel). Incorrect: * Talk to Reldo. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! Travel to the Dwarven mine and kill Manbearpig. Correct: * Talk to Reldo. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! * Kill Manbearpig, located in the Dwarven mine. Successive actions Some commonsense successive actions are minor enough that they can be included in a single bullet: * Talk to Reldo. He will warn you that Manbearpig is about to attack! Agree to help him kill Manbearpig. Layout Introduction * Write a short paragraph introducing the quest. Quest details template * The Quest details template is placed below the introductory paragraph. * This template is only meant to provide a preview of the quest: length, difficulty, items required, etc. * If the list of "Items needed" is long, DO NOT use bullets. Add in the needed items in the "Walkthough" section following this template. * Requirements for the requirements should not be listed: For example: The Chosen Commander requires Land of the Goblins - requirements for Land of the Goblins should not be listed on The Chosen Commander's page. Walkthrough The actual guide for the quest is included in this section. Detail * Do not be afraid to go overboard on detail. * Remember, some people need more direction than others, and what one person may find simple another may find ambiguous. * However, be sure to present the extra detail in a way that does not require more experienced or hurried users to wade through unneeded detail (see Bulleting). Images * Images should complement the quest guide, and occasionally should supplement the quest guide (in the case of maps, etc). * Image should be right-aligned. However, centre-alignment can be used for some images in the quest pages, such as maps. * It is okay to break up the text of a quest guide to give it some visual appeal. However, excessive images that only serve the interest of visual appeal will detract from the usability of the guide. Rewards * The rewards image is to be left-aligned. * Rewards should be included in bullet form. Additional rewards other than shown in the rewards image may be included as well. Music * If there are music tracks unlocked during the quest, list them in the "Music" section. See also * RuneScape:Style guide - the general style guide this Wiki uses that complements the Quest style guide. * RuneScape:Store Style Guide - A style guide dedicated to organising information about NPC stores.